The Production of “Find a Place to Breathe”
Inception
In recent years I managed to work as a Staff Nurse for a short time at the local hospital. Some patients really appreciated a break from the noise and bustle of the wards by listening on their earphones to music or an audio book of their choice. The opportunity to do so may have offered them the chance of restoration and healing.
It was in the summer of 2005 after sitting through several meetings of the Environment Group of the Castle Woods and Water Project in Morpeth, that I started to wonder how people could be given the chance to be out in the fresh air if they could not get outdoors very easily. Plans had been drawn up to make improvements to pathways by the river Wansbeck but several members of the Environment Group and I did not wish them to be covered in tarmac or concrete. The river Wansbeck is prone to flooding after heavy rainfall and the valley sides erode easily, so new paths would be expensive to build and maintain.
Solution
One solution to helping to access the quiet woodland and riverside areas would be to take it to people in audio and video productions. In the early spring of 2006, I put forward to the Environment Group the idea of making an audio recording, with commentary, of the Wansbeck Valley. The idea was well received but for several reasons it was not the right time to go ahead with such a project. The will to continue with some sort of recording was strengthened by visits to the local woods and when orienteering in beautiful countryside in Yorkshire and Northumberland. I found inspiration during a Yoga Study Day when talking about the situations that help to bring about relaxation and meditation. Most of the group cited being outdoors away from the domestic environment as the most effective way to relax.
So, the following week I put forward ideas to an experienced sound engineer, Keith Hartnell, who has produced and sold many DVDs and videos of the north of England. It seemed a relatively simple task of visiting quite remote areas to make recordings. In reality the world is a noisy place. Man-made noise is everywhere. Traffic, aircraft and sudden bird noise were a major problem despite the fact that Northumberland was deemed the most tranquil county in England after a survey in 2006 by the charity The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).
Production
By late autumn the recording was ready and on first hearing it, I was impressed by the energy that could be felt in the sounds, especially the waves crashing onto the beach at Druridge Bay. The wind on the moors and in the trees is very difficult to record authentically because the recording equipment is very sensitive to more than a slight breeze. The storm in the forest was unexpected and Keith was taken completely by surprise. He had begun recording when it started to rain heavily. A dangerous situation for him to be in but he continued to record the storm, which is quite dramatic.
During the winter months I spent some time thinking up words for the CD cover. The word ‘Breathe’ was quite difficult to work with because it has been used in many titles and in advertising. Eventually, “Find a Place to Breathe” was chosen as a title printed over a beautiful view of Bamburgh beach, which looks quite tropical. The photograph was taken on a hot day in July. As the tide was going out the heat of the sun was evaporating the seawater on the beach. This created an incredible mist which really did make it easier to breath.